Telephone access information service distribution system

Abstract

A digital, interactive communication system designed to provide a plurality of remote subscribers with any one of a variety of stored information service software packages through the use of a home computing assembly maintained within the subscriber's home and structured to display video as well as generating audio on a standard television receiver. A bi-directional communication link is established over telephone lines between the home computing assembly and a central remote information storage center wherein a selected one of the variety of information services is transmitted as a modulated carrier to the subscriber. Information service selection is controlled by a remote information storage center executive software program. Automatic billing is performed by computing equipment maintained in the remote information storage center and transmitted to a headquarters which also receives diagnostic messages associated with the remote information center and/or the associated plurality of home computing elements.

I claim: 
     
       1. A bi-directional, interactive communications system for transmitting in a digital format, information services to a plurality of subscriber locations on demand, said bi-directional communications system comprising: a remote information services storage center for storing a variety of information service programs,   a television broadcast facility for uni-directionally transmitting a selected one of said variety of information service programs,   a home computing assembly disposed at each subscriber location and connected bi-directionally by telephone lines to the remote information services storage center and also being linked to the television broadcast facility,   a television receiver connected to said home computing assembly,   said home computing assembly being structured to receive an individually addressed code from the remote information services storage center and to cause transfer of digital streams of data from the remote information services storage center to the television broadcast facility and transfer of the digital streams of data from the television broadcast facility to said home computing assembly for storage by said home computing assembly upon comparison and matching of an identification code of said home computing assembly with said individually addressed code as received from said remote information services storage center, and   said home computing assembly including decoder means tuned to a television broadcast channel of said television receiver for monitoring the digital streams of data as transmitted from the television broadcast facility,   said home computing assembly including digital processing means for receiving the digital streams of data by the requesting one of home computing assemblies, and   said home computing assembly further including distributed computer processing means for invoking the selected one of said variety of information service programs to perform a task associated with the selected one of said variety of information service programs and means to interact with the selected one of said variety of information service programs as received from the television broadcast facility.   
     
     
       2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said home computing assemblies are defined as remote slave computers within a wide area network. 
     
     
       3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include independent control of video and audio of said television receiver. 
     
     
       4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include a memory programmer means for permanently recording said selected one of said variety of information services in RAM memory on a programmable memory medium. 
     
     
       5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said remote information storage center includes a self-test diagnostic capability means for allowing access to a fault history map used to isolate malfunctions of one of system, components, telephone links and television broadcast channels. 
     
     
       6. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computer based adaptive billing sub-system for tracking subscriber activity. 
     
     
       7. A bi-directional, interactive communications system for transmitting in a digital format, information services to a plurality of subscriber locations, said bi-directional interactive communications system comprising: a remote information services storage center for storing a variety of information services,   a television broadcast facility for uni-directionally transmitting a selected one of said variety of information services,   a home computing assembly disposed at each subscriber location and connected bi-directionally by telephone lines to the remote information services storage center and also being linked to the television broadcast facility,   a television receiver connected to said home computer assembly,   said home computing assembly communicating bi-directionally over telephone lines with the remote information services storage center to cause said selected one of said variety of information services to be transferred as digital streams of data with an individually addressed code from the remote storage center to the television broadcast facility and transferred as said digital streams of data from the television broadcast facility to said home computing assembly for storage by said home computing assembly upon comparison and matching of an identification code of said home computing assembly with said individually addressed code as received from said information services storage center,   said home computing assembly including storage means for storing said digital streams of data as transmitted from the television broadcast facility,   said home computing assembly further including digital processing means for processing said digital streams of data stored by the storage means and displaying said selected one of said variety of information services on said television when desired.   
     
     
       8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of said home computing assemblies are defined as remote slave computers within a wide area network. 
     
     
       9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include independent control of video and audio of said television receiver. 
     
     
       10. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include a memory programmer means for permanently recording said selected one of said variety of information services in RAM memory on a programmable memory medium. 
     
     
       11. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said remote information storage center includes a self-test diagnostic capability means for allowing access to a fault history map used to isolate malfunctions of one of system, components, telephone links and television broadcast channels. 
     
     
       12. A system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a computer based adaptive billing sub-system for tracking subscriber activity. 
     
     
       13. A bi-directional, interactive communications system for transmitting in a digital format, information services to a plurality of subscriber locations on demand, said bi-directional communications system comprising: a remote information services storage center for storing a variety of information service programs,   a television broadcast facility for uni-directionally transmitting a selected one of said variety of information service programs,   a home computing assembly disposed at each subscriber location and connected bi-directionally by telephone lines to the remote information services storage center, and also being linked to the television broadcast facility,   a television receiver connected to said home computing assembly,   said home computing assembly being structured to receive an individually addressed code over telephone lines to the remote information services storage center and to cause transfer of digital streams of data from the remote information services storage center to the television broadcast facility and transfer of the digital streams of data from the television broadcast facility to said home computing assembly for storage by said home computing assembly upon comparison and matching of an identification code of said home computing assembly with said individually addressed code as received from said remote information services storage center, and said home computing assembly including decoder means tuned to a television broadcast channel of said television receiver for monitoring the digital streams of data as transmitted from the television broadcast facility,   said home computing assembly including digital processing means for receiving the digital streams of data by the requested one of home computing assemblies, and   said home computing assembly further including distributed computer processing means for invoking the selected one of said variety of information service programs to perform a task associated with one of said variety of information service programs and means to interact with one of said variety of information service programs as received from the television broadcast facility.   
     
     
       14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said home computing assemblies are defined as remote slave computers within a wide area network. 
     
     
       15. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include independent control of video and audio of said television receiver. 
     
     
       16. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said home computing assemblies include a memory programmer means for permanently recording said selected one of said variety of information services in RAM memory on a programmable memory medium. 
     
     
       17. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said remote information storage center includes a self-test diagnostic capability means for allowing access to a fault history map used to isolate malfunctions of one of system, components, telephone links and television broadcast channels. 
     
     
       18. A system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a computer based adaptive billing sub-system for tracking subscriber activity. 
     
     
       19. A bi-directional, interactive communications system for transmitting in a digital format, information services to a plurality of subscriber locations on demand, said bi-directional communications system comprising: a remote information services storage center for storing a variety of information service programs,   a television broadcast facility for uni-directionally transmitting a selected one of said variety of information service programs,   a home computing assembly disposed at each subscriber location and connected bi-directionally by telephone lines to the remote information services storage center and also being linked to the television broadcast facility,   a television receiver connected to said home computing assembly,   said home computing assembly being structured to request over telephone lines one of said variety of information services from said remote information services storage center by transmission of an identification code, an information service select code, verification of existence of a previously loaded information service software, and any mode commands from said home computing assembly, and in response the remote information services storage center determines if the selected information service is already resident in the home computing assembly, and if so, transmits an authorization code to the home computing assembly to enable the previously loaded service software, and if not, the remote information services storage center transmits digital streams of data from the remote information services storage center to the television broadcast facility and transfers the digital streams of data from the television broadcast facility to said home computing assembly for storage by said home computing assembly upon comparison and matching of an identification code of said home computing assembly with an individually addressed code transmitted from said remote information services storage center, and said home computing assembly including decoder means tuned to a television broadcast channel of said television receiver for monitoring the digital streams of data as transmitted from the television broadcast facility,   said home computing assembly including digital processing means for receiving the digital streams of data by the requested one of home computing assemblies, and   said home computing assembly further including distributed computer processing means for invoking the selected one of said variety of information service programs to perform a task associated with one of said variety of information service programs and means to interact with one of said variety of information service programs as received from the television broadcast facility.   
     
     
       20. A bi-directional, interactive communications system for transmitting in a digital format, information services to a plurality of subscriber locations on demand, said bi-directional communications system comprising: a remote information services storage center for storing a mall shopping service program,   a television broadcast facility for uni-directionally transmitting the mall shopping service program,   a home computing assembly disposed at each subscriber location and connected bi-directionally by telephone liens to the remote information services storage center and also being linked to the television broadcast facility,   a television receiver connected to said home computing assembly,   said home computing assembly being structured to receive an individually addressed code form the remote information services storage center and to cause transfer of digital streams of data from the remote information services storage center to the television broadcast facility and transfer of the digital streams of data of the television broadcast facility to said home computing assembly for storage by said home computing assembly upon comparison and matching of an identification code of sd home computing assembly with said individually addressed code as received form said remote information services storage center, and   said home computing assembly including decoder means tuned to a television broadcast channel of said television receiver for monitoring the digital streams of data as transmitted from the television broadcast facility,   said home computing assembly including digital processing means for receiving the digital streams of data by the requesting one of home computing assemblies, and   said home computing assembly further including distributed computer processing means for invoking the mall shopping service program and to perform a task associated with the mall shopping service program and means to interact with the mall shopping service program as received from the television broadcast facility.